In the event of my death…

100 years ago today Private James Benjamin Brodie, reg. no. 53776 died of wounds he sustained to both legs.

A poignant  reminder of his existence is his will. It reads:

Will
Pte. J.B. Brodie. no. 53776

In the event of my death I leave all that is due me to my Wife Esther Brodie 160 Dufferin Street, Stratford, Ontario

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Pte. James Benjamin Brodie
No. 53776
Sept. 15, 1915

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18th Battalion C.E.F.

This will was written at a rest camp in Boulogne, France as the Battalion had just transited from England to the Continent and they arrived at 4:55 AM in the morning. Sometime after, one would expect, with Private Brodie just days away from active service in Flanders, he recorded his will. There was probably an emphasis by the officers and N.C.O.s of the Battalion to get any men that had not filled out a will to do so before they entered the front.